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ShelfCompanies24 has been forming Czech companies for international founders since 1995. Our Prague team handles every step of company formation in the Czech Republic on a single fixed-price contract — from choosing the right legal form through notarisation by a Czech notář, registration in the Obchodní rejstřík, tax and VAT registration with the Finanční úřad, and your first Czech corporate bank account. Most clients are trading inside 2–4 weeks, or on day one if they choose a ready-made s.r.o. instead.
No hidden fees. Single payment covers notář, Obchodní rejstřík, Evidence skutečných majitelů, first-year sídlo, bank introduction and our service fee.
Company formation plus virtual office plus banking plus účetní firma — under one roof.
Direct notarial filing (přímý zápis notářem) delivers Obchodní rejstřík entry in 1–3 weeks. Dedicated Czech-speaking case manager.
Sign via qualified electronic signature, Czech Notarial Chamber video-identification, Czech consulate, or delegate to our attorney under plná moc.
We draft the společenská smlouva, coordinate the notář, file in Obchodní rejstřík, register DIČ / DPH and update Evidence skutečných majitelů.
Czech commercial law under the Zákon o obchodních korporacích (ZOK, effective 2014) offers five corporate forms, but three dominate real-world Czech company formation: the s.r.o., the a.s., and for specialist partnership structures the k.s. (limited partnership).
The s.r.o. is the workhorse of Czech commerce, covering more than 90% of new corporate registrations each year. Governed by §§ 132–242 ZOK.
The Czech joint-stock company. Required for listed entities, regulated sectors (banking, insurance, investment funds), and certain public-tender categories. Governed by §§ 243–551 ZOK.
| Form | Min. capital | Formation time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| s.r.o. | CZK 1 (CZK 10,000+ typical) | 1–4 weeks | Default — SMEs, holdings, trade |
| a.s. | CZK 2,000,000 | 4–8 weeks | Listed groups, regulated finance |
| k.s. | No minimum | 3–6 weeks | Tax-optimised partnerships |
| Branch of foreign co. | Parent-dependent | 4–6 weeks | Multi-nationals with local presence |
| Ready-made s.r.o. | CZK 10,000+ (already paid) | 3–7 working days | Need immediate trading |
A 30-minute consultation confirms legal form, shareholder structure, business purpose (předmět podnikání — aligned to Czech trade-licence categories), intended sídlo, základní kapitál level and banking preferences.
The Czech Republic’s Zákon o živnostenském podnikání (Trade Licensing Act) regulates which activities require a trade licence before a company can operate. Trades fall into three categories:
We map the correct trade-licence categories during the strategy call.
For single-member s.r.o. we draft a zakladatelská listina; for multi-member, a společenská smlouva. Drafted in bilingual Czech-English form, aligned to ZOK requirements, including provisions on share transfers, pre-emption, exit clauses and deadlock resolution where relevant.
The founder(s) appear before a Czech notář — in person or, since 2024, via the Notářská komora ČR’s video-identification platform, or at any Czech consulate worldwide, or via a pre-executed plná moc s úředně ověřeným podpisem. The notář drafts and executes the notářský zápis establishing the company, appointing the first jednatel and adopting the articles. Notary fees scale with základní kapitál: approximately CZK 3,000–8,000 for a standard s.r.o.
The founder opens a special vkladový účet (deposit account) with a Czech bank and deposits the declared základní kapitál. The bank issues a potvrzení o složení vkladů (capital-deposit confirmation) which the notář attaches to the Obchodní rejstřík filing.
Before the Obchodní rejstřík entry, the company must be issued with the relevant trade licence(s) by the živnostenský úřad (trade-licensing office). Free trades: 5 working days. Vocational or regulated: 30 days or longer.
Since 2014 Czech notáři have the right to file directly into the Obchodní rejstřík via přímý zápis notářem — bypassing the full court-filing procedure and delivering an entry within 1–5 working days. Standard court filing (via krajský soud) takes 2–4 weeks. The Obchodní rejstřík operates online at or.justice.cz; company-registration fees are approximately CZK 6,000.
On Obchodní rejstřík entry the company automatically receives its IČO. Within 15 days we file with the Finanční úřad for:
Beneficial owners holding > 25% must be disclosed in the Evidence skutečných majitelů within 15 days of Obchodní rejstřík entry. Penalties scale to CZK 500,000 plus suspension of voting rights.
The vkladový účet converts into a regular business account. We introduce you to additional Czech banking partners: Česká spořitelna (Erste Group) for high-volume B2B, Komerční banka (SG) for international trade, ČSOB (KBC) for SME, Raiffeisenbank for DACH-corridor, Moneta for digital-first, Fio banka for low-cost multi-currency.
| Scenario | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| s.r.o. via přímý zápis notářem (direct notarial filing) | 1–3 weeks |
| s.r.o. via traditional krajský soud court filing | 3–6 weeks |
| a.s. (joint-stock) | 6–10 weeks |
| Branch of foreign company | 4–8 weeks |
| Ready-made s.r.o. — transfer rather than formation | 3–7 working days |
Our all-in Czech s.r.o. formation package is typically CZK 30,000–50,000 (≈ €1,200–2,000) depending on base capital, language requirements and trade-licence complexity. Line-item breakdown:
| Line item | Typical cost (CZK) |
|---|---|
| Notář fees — single-member s.r.o. with base capital | CZK 3,000 – 6,000 |
| Notář fees — multi-member, bespoke articles | CZK 6,000 – 12,000 |
| Obchodní rejstřík fee (direct notarial filing) | CZK 6,000 |
| Obchodní rejstřík fee (court route) | CZK 6,000 |
| Trade licence(s) | CZK 1,000 per trade |
| Certified translations (Czech-English) | CZK 400 – 800 per document |
| Apostille (for non-EU founders) | CZK 500 – 1,500 |
| First-year sídlo + mail forwarding | CZK 8,000 – 18,000 |
| Bank account opening | CZK 0 – 3,000 |
| Evidence skutečných majitelů filing | CZK 1,000 – 2,500 |
| Účetní firma — monthly accounting (dormant) | CZK 2,000 – 6,000 / month |
Most of our foreign clients never travel to Prague. Options for remote Czech company formation:
If you can wait 1–4 weeks, have specific needs for the company name, předmět podnikání wording or článek shareholder structure, proceed with a new Czech company formation. If you need immediate trading capacity — to sign a Prague lease, issue a first invoice, or meet a public-tender deadline — choose a ready-made s.r.o. in 3–7 working days. Both routes deliver the same Czech s.r.o. legal entity.
Via přímý zápis notářem (direct notarial filing to the Commercial Register), a single-member s.r.o. is Obchodní-rejstřík-registered within 1–3 weeks depending on the trade-licence category and notary availability. Traditional krajský-soud filing runs 3–6 weeks. A ready-made s.r.o. transfers in 3–7 working days with the same end-state.
The statutory minimum is CZK 1 per share under § 142 ZOK. In practice, commercially credible s.r.o. entities carry CZK 10,000–200,000 of základní kapitál. Banks occasionally query sub-CZK-10,000 companies more aggressively at onboarding. Our standard recommendation is CZK 100,000 for active-trading s.r.o. and CZK 10,000 for lightweight holding vehicles.
No. Neither společníci (shareholders) nor jednatelé (executive directors) need Czech or EU residency, Czech nationality, or a Czech business visa. Every foreign jednatel needs a Czech identification — we obtain it during onboarding. Some Czech banks apply enhanced due diligence to non-EU UBOs; we match you to a bank that fits your profile.
Přímý zápis notářem (direct notarial filing) has been available since 2014 under the ZOK: the Czech notář who executes your notářský zápis also has the right to file the Obchodní rejstřík entry directly, bypassing the krajský soud. This compresses the timeline from 3–6 weeks (court) to 1–3 weeks (notarial). It is now the default route for most s.r.o. and simple a.s. formations. Certain complex structures (multi-tier shareholdings, in-kind contributions) may still require court filing.
Almost every Czech trading activity requires an živnostenské oprávnění issued by the živnostenský úřad. Most commerce — consulting, IT, most retail — falls under “free trades” (volné živnosti), which need only a 5-day notification and a small fee (~CZK 1,000 per trade). Regulated activities (banking, insurance, food production) need sector-specific licences. We map the trade-licence requirements during the strategy call.
21% CIT (up from 19% since 2024), 21% standard VAT / 12% reduced, 0% withholding on EU-parent dividends under the Parent-Subsidiary Directive. Effective combined corporate tax burden for a standard s.r.o. is 21%. There is no separate municipal corporate tax, no minimum-tax rule, no capital duty, no stamp duty on share transfers. We run a tax-structure simulation during onboarding.
Yes, with care. Czech tax law follows the place-of-effective-management test. If the jednatel and all meaningful decisions operate entirely from another jurisdiction, double-tax-treaty analysis may determine that the company is tax-resident abroad. Most international clients resolve this by appointing a Czech-resident jednatel for operational substance. We discuss the right setup during onboarding.
DIČ and DPH registration with the Finanční úřad; živnostenské oprávnění if not already issued; Evidence skutečných majitelů filing; bank account activation; engagement of an účetní firma for monthly bookkeeping and VAT filings. Most clients are fully operational — invoicing, paying suppliers, hiring — within 3–4 weeks of Obchodní rejstřík entry.
Yes. ShelfCompanies24 acts as your Czech company formation agent: we form the s.r.o. or a.s., handle notarisation, Obchodní rejstřík filing, trade licences, Finanční úřad registration, Evidence skutečných majitelů and banking introduction — all without you being present in the Czech Republic.
Ready to register your Czech company? Contact our Czech desk for a fixed-price proposal covering notář, Obchodní rejstřík, trade licences, tax registration and banking. Most projects start within 48 hours of payment.